leaving things behind
Sep. 13th, 2008 05:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotesseWatching the hurricane on satellite imaging and radar last night was amazing and terrifying - amazing because the force of nature just hits you like that sometimes, and terrifying because I kept hearing weather bloggers speculating that there might not even be a Galveston in the morning.
Luckily, it wasn't too bad - but it could have been. I hear that, had the storm had ten more hours to build, it could have been a Category 5. So now I just get to be pissed off at the people making snide remarks about those who didn't leave.
Ignoring all the usual reasons - poverty, illegal alien status, disability - I got stuck thinking about animal rescue. This is from a press release at the beginning of the month, talking about Hurricane Gustav: The first-ever City Assisted Evacuation Plan (CAEP) pet evacuation, which provided evacuation and sheltering assistance for pet owners who lacked transportation or had other special needs, was a tremendous success. It was the first time in the city’s history that animals were evacuated prior to a natural disaster. Evacuees were very appreciative, telling us they did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina, and would have stayed for Gustav if they couldn't evacuate with their pets,” said Zorrilla. Studies indicated that 44 percent of Gulf Coast residents who did not evacuate during Hurricane Katrina stayed because they did not want to leave their pets behind.
And I started thinking - could I walk out of my home right now, knowing that if by some miracle my cats survived, I would still never be able to find them again? I don't know that I could. I've only had these kitties for a couple months, and leaving them would end me. If it were a pet you'd had for fifteen years? If you lived alone with your animals? God, I can see why you'd be reluctant to leave.
My best wishes and thoughts go to the Gulf Coast, and to all the animals displaced from their families by the storm.
Luckily, it wasn't too bad - but it could have been. I hear that, had the storm had ten more hours to build, it could have been a Category 5. So now I just get to be pissed off at the people making snide remarks about those who didn't leave.
Ignoring all the usual reasons - poverty, illegal alien status, disability - I got stuck thinking about animal rescue. This is from a press release at the beginning of the month, talking about Hurricane Gustav: The first-ever City Assisted Evacuation Plan (CAEP) pet evacuation, which provided evacuation and sheltering assistance for pet owners who lacked transportation or had other special needs, was a tremendous success. It was the first time in the city’s history that animals were evacuated prior to a natural disaster. Evacuees were very appreciative, telling us they did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina, and would have stayed for Gustav if they couldn't evacuate with their pets,” said Zorrilla. Studies indicated that 44 percent of Gulf Coast residents who did not evacuate during Hurricane Katrina stayed because they did not want to leave their pets behind.
And I started thinking - could I walk out of my home right now, knowing that if by some miracle my cats survived, I would still never be able to find them again? I don't know that I could. I've only had these kitties for a couple months, and leaving them would end me. If it were a pet you'd had for fifteen years? If you lived alone with your animals? God, I can see why you'd be reluctant to leave.
My best wishes and thoughts go to the Gulf Coast, and to all the animals displaced from their families by the storm.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-14 02:25 pm (UTC)I have many relatives in Houston. Actually, my father is in Fort Worth right now and he told me about how some of his cousins attempted to evacuate but traffic was so gridlocked no one could go anywhere. Some people got out of their cars and started to walk. Others like my cousins simply turned around and went back home to hope for the best.
Even back during Katrina, there were people who couldn't get out. Some people were so poor that they couldn't afford vehicles. I either read or saw on the news about one man who had a wife and 5 kids. Their only vehicle was a Chevy Cavalier. They packed the entire family into the Cavalier and attempted to leave New Orleans. They were stopped by a police officer for having too many passengers in the car and the officer told them to dump two passengers, turn around, or be arrested. So they turned around.
It makes me want to kick somebody when someone is determined to think that people like that simply chose not to leave.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-14 02:35 pm (UTC)Until we get a grip on decent, safe evacuation procedures, I really don't think we can point fingers at any of those who choose to stay with their homes.